Yes, times are tough. The big banks are on life support. Home prices are in the pits. The stock market's tanked. Unemployment's way, way up.
And … uh-oh. How are you doing? What about your home? Your investments? Your job?
How safe is it? What's the worst that can happen to you?
We put that question to the expert -- Joshua Piven, author of the best-selling 'Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook' series. His tongue-in-cheek answer is not pretty: 'You lose your job, you run out of savings or a safety net, have to sell [your] home, it's a down market and you can't sell your house, you move, pull the kids out of school, it's not easy to get another job and your whole lifestyle has to change.
'Then there's homelessness, maybe spiraling alcoholism, and then living on the side of the train tracks.'
Ugh. More people are facing an extended period of joblessness and the potential financial difficulties that go along with it.
Unemployment hit 7.6% last month, with 11.6 million people out of work, and the number of people experiencing joblessness for more than six months has continued to increase, growing to more than 2.6 million in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As jobless rates go up, duration usually follows, says Katharine Abraham, a University of Maryland economist.
With the Federal Reserve forecasting that the unemployment rate could hit 8.8% this year, the number of people unemployed for longer stretches of time is expected to increase as well.
Conventional wisdom has long called for you to stash away up to six months of living expenses to carry you through a financial emergency or job loss. But with more job hunts lasting longer than half a year, backup funds can dwindle, and you will have to make more and more tough financial choices.
'It may be painful to think about bad things happening, but you have to make sure you are budgeting appropriately and living below your means,' says Liz Davidson, CEO of Financial Finesse, a financial-education firm.
Here are some things to keep in mind, starting now:
While You're Working
--Double that emergency fund. One way to do this is by making minimum payments on your credit cards. That runs counter to the usual advice, but for those worried about losing a job, these aren't usual times. Take the remaining money you would use to pay off the whole bill and stash it in a money-market or high-interest savings account, suggests June Walbert, a financial planner with USAA, which mainly serves military members and their families.
--Consider downsizing your living quarters. For example, after business began to slow at Saxon Anderson's teeth-whitening kiosk at a Los Angeles area mall, the 26-year-old downgraded from a nice single apartment to a house with five roommates.
--Since it's easier to get credit while you're employed, look into opening another credit card or a home-equity line of credit as a precaution in case money becomes hard to access if you are unemployed. But use this credit only as a last resort.
When the Word Comes Down
--File for unemployment benefits immediately, says Linda Robertson, a senior financial planner with Financial Finesse. A severance package from your employer could delay your eligibility, but 'so many of the unemployment offices are overwhelmed right now and are behind,' she says.
--Call your landlord or lender if your layoff results in immediate financial instability. Ask about deferred-payment plans for rent or find out if your lender offers programs to restructure any loans, says Ms. Robertson. If you're financially stable, you may still want to alert your landlord or lender to your employment situation in case you have trouble making future payments.
--Look into all your health-insurance options. The government made some modifications to the federal COBRA law, which allows people to extend their previous coverage, but know that this isn't always the most affordable plan. Young and healthy? A high-deductible plan might still be more affordable.
The First Six Months
--Develop a bare-bones budget -- and stick to it -- so your severance or emergency funds will last as long as possible.
--Prioritize your debts. When the bills come, pay the big ones -- such as rent or mortgage, utilities and car payments -- before making minimum payments on your credit cards, suggests Ms. Robertson.
--If money starts getting tight, consider further downsizing your home or selling any nonessential cars, electronics, jewelry or other valuables, says Dan Houston, president of retirement and investor services at Principal Financial Group.
Six Months and Beyond
--De-invest. Start by looking for securities you might liquidate in nonretirement accounts. Potential tax write-offs could help make the losses easier to stomach. 'If they've got a capital loss, they can write that off against any gains,' says Ms. Robertson. 'Or they can write off up to $3,000 of a capital loss against any other income.'
--Then tap your Roth IRA. Money grows tax-free in these retirement accounts, and you can usually withdraw contributions with no tax liability. 'That should be one of your measures of last resort, because we want that money to remain in that tax shelter,' says Ms. Walbert.
--Keep your hands off your traditional IRA or 401(k) until the very last moment. 'You'll not only have to pay taxes on those withdrawals, but you'll also pay penalties,' says Mr. Houston. 'You'll lose all of the compounding interest and yield. Plus, the probability of you replacing those dollars down the road is pretty remote, since the tendency for most is to spend instead of replace.'
确实，目前时世艰难。大银行要靠政府救命，房价一落千丈，股市萎靡不振，失业率高得离谱。
对了...还有，你怎么样？你的住房怎么样？你的投资怎么样？你的工作怎么样？
你是否觉得很安心？你觉得自己将会遇到的最糟糕的事情是什么？
我们把这个问题交给一位专家来解答，他名叫乔舒华?皮文(Joshua Piven)，是《教你如何度过难关》(Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook)一书的作者。他的回答不太好听：“你没了工作，没了存款或应急资金，只能把房子卖掉，但市场不好，卖不出去，你只能搬家，让孩子休学，新工作也很难找，你只好彻底改变自己的生活方式。”
“然后你价格可能就会无家可归，可能就会酗酒度日，可能就只能住在铁轨旁边。”
确实，越来越多的人正面临长期失业的问题，以及随之而来的拮 。
根据美国劳动统计局(Bureau of Labor Statistics)的资料，2009年1月，美国失业率高达7.6%，有1,160万人失业，失业时间在6个月以上的人数持续增长，1月份超过了260万人。
马里兰大学(University of Maryland)的经济学家商务英语凯萨琳?阿芭拉多少钱价格汉姆(Katharine Abraham)说，失业率上升时，失业持续期通常也会随之变长。
根据美联储(Federal Reserve)预测，2009年，美国失业率可能高达8.8%，而且更多的人会面临更长时间的失业。
一费用直以来，人们都有一个西北旺
商务英语培训多少钱常识，家里要准备6个月的生活费用，用来应急和防备失业。然而，越来越多的人要花半年以上的时间才能找到新工作，因此应急资金可能不够，你不得不更加节衣缩食。
“做最坏的打算也许很痛苦，但你一定得精打细算，量入为出，”一家财务培训企业Financial Finesse的首席执行官丽兹?大卫森(Liz Davidson)说道。
下面列出你现在就要注意的事项：
如果你还有工作
--将应急旺资金增加一培训倍，其中一个办法是每个月的信用卡帐单只付低还款额。这种做法可能和惯常的财务建议不同，但对那些担心失业的人来说，现在并非惯常时期。把这样节省下来的钱投资于货币市场或高利率存款，联合服务汽车协会(USAA)的金融规划师朱恩?沃伯特(June Walbert)建议道。USAA主要向军人及其家庭提供服务。
--考虑降低住房标准。举例而言，萨克森?安德森(Saxon Anderson)在洛杉矶地区一个购物商场里经营一个牙齿增白小店，由于生意开始转淡，26岁的安德森从一个不错的单身公寓搬出来，和五个人合租了一栋房子。
--你有工作的时候，更容易得到银行信贷。因此，看看能不能再办一张信用卡，或用房子做抵押申请贷款，以防失业后难以借到资金；但这些信贷额度只有等万不得已才能使用。
如果商务英语费用你已经失业
--你应该马上申请失业救济，Financial Finesse公司的资深金融规划师琳达?罗伯森(Linda Robertson)说道。由于公司给你支付了解雇赔偿，因此你还不具备马上领取救济金的资格，“但现在许多就业办公室都挤满了申请救西北旺商务
英语培训费用济金的人，所以还是早点排队的好，” 罗伯森说道。
--如果你失业后个人的经济状况马上变得捉襟见肘，那就应该给你的房东或贷款人打电话，询问房东能否延缓支付房租，或贷款人能否提供债务重组的选择，罗伯森说道。即使你经济上还算稳定，你也可以把失业的情况告诉房东或贷款人，以防今后付款出现困难。
--研究一下自己的医疗保险方案。政府修改了“统一综合预算协调法案”(COBRA)，允许失业者继续维持以前的医疗保险，但你要知道，以前的医疗保险不一定是西北培训经济的方案。如果你还年轻，身体不错，就可以考虑高自付额医疗保险, 从而节省费用支出。
失业的头六个月
--制定一个节俭到家的预算，并坚决予以执行，这样你的解雇赔偿或应急资金能用得更久一些。
--把个人债务按优多西北旺商务
英语培训价格少钱先次序排列。罗伯森建议，帐单寄到家时，先支付大笔金额的单子，比如房租、房贷、公共事业费或车贷等，然后再支付低还款额的信用卡帐单。
--如果你手头越来越紧，可以考虑搬到更小的房子去住，或者卖掉可有可西北无的汽车、电器、珠宝或其他贵重物品，Principal Financial Group退休金及投资者服务部的负责人丹?休士顿(Dan Houston)说道。
失业六个月以上
--收回投资。先把非退休金帐户中的证券套现，如果是亏旺损卖出，亏损部分也许可以抵扣个人所得税，从而让你感觉好受一点。“如果出现资本损失，纳税时可以与资本利得相互抵消，” 罗伯森说，“也可以选择用资本损失抵扣其他收入项目的税额，高不超过3,000美元。”
--然后考虑从Roth个人退休金账户(Roth IRA)中取钱。这些退休帐户的投资收益是免税的，而且支取时通常不需要纳税。“这是你山穷水尽后才能动用的钱，因为这些资金能够享受免税待遇，”沃伯特说道。
--除非万不得已，否则不要动用IRA或401(k)这类个人退休帐户的钱。“如果提前支取，你不但要纳税，还要支付罚金，”休士顿说。“提前支取还会使你丧失所有复利和投资收益。此外，你今后重新把钱补进退休帐户的可能性很低，因为大多数人一般有钱就花掉了，而不会用来补充退休帐户。”
